Pocketknife



March 23, 1937.

R. J. cHRlsTY 2,074,640

POGKETKNIFE Filed Sept. 20. 1935 I Patented Mar. 23, 1937 Russ J. Christy, New Smyrna, Fla., assignor to The Christy Company, Fremont, Ohio, a corprationof Ohio Application September 20, 1935, Serial No. 41,471 V 13 Claims. (C1. 30-f-10) This invention relates to pocketknives and more particularly to such knives of the type in which the blade is longitudinally slidable in the handle and is adapted to be projected beyond 5 one end thereof.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved knife of the type described.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide, in a knife of the type described,

a construction comprising a minimum number` of simple parts and in which the blade itself can be readily detached from the remaining parts and replaced if it becomes dull, broken, or worn. '15 11n important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of an extremely simple handle for a knife, of the type described, which is formed as a loop, from a single lengthof metal strip, with two portionsthereof arranged parallel and comprising tracks for the guidance 0 of the knife blades.

Another'feature of the invention consists in the provision of a knife blade and-shank of one piece and of-substantially uniform thickness and width whereby both the edges ofthe shank and '5 the back edge of the blade can be guided in grooves in the track members.

Still another feature of theinvention resides in the provision of an open sided handle, between the track sides of which the shank of a blade is guided, and in the provisionof a block secured to the blade shank between'the tracks and serving to limit the outward movement of the blade as it is projected through an end member of the handle.

A still murther feature of the invention resides in the novel means for locking the blade in any one of a number of positions, which means that such changes may be made therein as Vfall Within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a knife con- `a blade II.

vin full lines.

structed in accordance with the present invention shown with the bladeextended in solid lines and in dotted'lines with the blade retracted;

Figure 2 isa longitudinal central section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1; .5 Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the inner face of the block intended to be mounted on the shank of the blade; and

Figure 5 is a View on an enlarged scale of the blade shown removed from the handle.

The present invention contemplates the pro.- vision of an extremely simple pocket knife which can be very cheaply made to-se1l at a low price; 15 which has ablade which can, if desired, be removed andV replaced by a new one when dull or Worn and in which the blades can be made so cheaply and replaced so readily that changing is simpler than sharpening, very much as in the case. of the present-day safety razor.

As shown inthe drawing, the knife comprises two essential parts, an open sided handle Il] and As shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 the blade can be completely Ahoused Within the handle or it can be projected beyond one end of thehandle for use as shown in Figures 1 and 2 As seen in Figure 5, the blade comprises a suitable strip of Asteel of substantially uniform width and thickness, clipped at one end as at I2 to provide a suitable shape for the blade point and sharpened on one edge at I3 for a portion of its length to provide a cutting edge. The remaining'portion I 4 to the right of the sharpen edpart is the shank and this is perforated with two holes I5 and I6. The Shank is guided in the handle and remains Within the same when the blade is extended to form a rigid connection between Ithe handle and the blade.

The handle Il) may be defined as opensided, 40 i. e., the two faces thereof are open and in fact the Whole handle consists in a simple loop having a pair of straight, spaced, track members I8 and I9 and the connecting end members 20 and CAD 2I which'are conveniently arcuate to give a con- 4,5V

figuration to the closed knife of desirable contour with no corners to catch in the pocket. This loop including parts I3, i9, 2D and 2 I is formed from a single piece of strip or bar stock of substantially semi-circular cross-section as seen at I8 50 and I9 in Figure 3.

The track members I8 and I9 are grooved centrally of their inner fiat. faces 22 and 23, as at 24 and 25 to such a depth and of such a width as to snugly receive the `shank of the blade and to guide the same for longitudinal movement therein. The end 20 of the handle is slotted at 26 for its full width and in alignment with the grooves to permit the blade to protrude through '5 this end and to provide a guide for the flat faces of the same.

The rear end 30 of the shank is curved to the same curvature as the inner face of end member 2| of the handle. Applied to each face of the ,10 shank is a metal block of such thickness that the outer faces thereof are in substantially the same planes with edges 3| of the bar forming the handle. One of these blocks 32 is perfectly plain and is perforated to pass the shanks of screws 33, the heads of which are countersunk into this block. These screws pass through openings I5 and I6 in the blade shank and are threadedly engaged in the companion block 35. The rear ends of blocks 32 and 35 are shaped to the same conguration as the end of the bladeshank and their forward ends are given a similar configuration so thatwhen the blade is extended to its full length these forward ends abut neatly against end member 20 of the handle andlimitl outward movement of the blade as seen in Figure 1. These blocks provide a convenient grip for the fingers in sliding the blade to its various positions and at.the,same time block 35 houses'locking mechanism which selectively secures the blade in any of a number of positions.

Figure 4 clearly shows the structure of this locking mechanism. The inner face of the block 35 is transversely grooved at 36 and in this groove slides locking lug 31 carrying locking pin 38. The lug is biased to the position shown in Figure 4 by means of leaf spring 39, fitting in longitudinal groove 40 in block 35, and having a long and a short leg, the end of the long leg bearing on the rear face 4| of the locking lug while the shortleg binds against the outer wall of groove 40 and with the struck-in parts 42 of the metal of the block serves to hold the spring in position.

The locking lug pin 38 is adapted to` be engaged in any one of holes M on the inner face of track member I8 just slightly to one side of the groove therein. Preferably there is a locking recess 44 to hold the blade in its fully re' tracted position, one to hold it in its fully extended position and one or more to hold it in intermediate extended positions if this ls found l desirable.

In order to withdraw the locking pin there is 65 in either direction desired, releasing the button where it is wished to stop the bladel As before mentioned, .the handle is made from a single strip or barv of metal bent to the form of a loop..v Conveniently the two ends of the barl 70 meet at the center line of end 2|r and are there wielded together. If desired, during the construction, a slot may be formed in end 2| the same as in end 20 and tab 50 inserted therein and secured in position by the same material thatv 45 welds the two ends ofthe bar together. A hole 5| in this tab then provides a. convenient means for hanging the knife from a watch chain or similar device to prevent it from being lost.

Since the width of the blade of the knife is substantially the same as that of the shank it will be seen that the back of the blade will be guided in the slot in one of the track members and will help to support the blade when pressure is put on the edge during cutting'so that there will be no canting of the same with a tendency to wear the corners of the shank and the track groove.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: I

1. A knife comprising a handle, a blade longi-l erally of the blade to engage the handle adjacentthe shank erige to lock the blade in desired positions, and an operating button for said lug exposed on the face of said block.

2. A knife comprising an open sided handle, a blade longitudinally slidable in said handle and adapted to be projected beyond one end thereof, said handle comprising parallel, spaced, track members and connecting end members, one slotted for passage of the blade, said track members being grooved on their inner faces, a. shank on the blade fitting between said tracks and guided in said grooves and a block secured vto one side of said shank extending laterally from track to track and adapted to abut the inner face of the slotted end member to limit outward movement of the blade.

3. A knife including an open sided handle formed of parallel, spaced, track members and connecting end members forming an integral closed loop, the inner faces of said track members having shallow grooves and one end member being slotted in extension of said groovesffa blade having its faces substantially parallel to the plane of the handle loop and longitudinally slidable through said slot to be projected into operative position or retracted within the handle, a shank on said blade having its edges fitted in said grooves to guide the blade and means carried by said shank and extending to the face edges of the tracks to operate said blade.

4. A knife including an open sided handle formed of parallel, spaced, track members and connecting end members, the inner faces of said track members being grooved and one end member being slotted in extension of said grooves, a blade longitudinally slidable through said slot to be protected into operative position or retracted within the handle, a shank on said blade having its edges fitted in said grooves to guidethe blade, a block covering one face of said shank,

Aa locking lug slidable laterally in a groove in'said block and having a pin thereon, recesses in the inner 'face of one track member to selectively receive said pin to lock the blade in any one of several positions and means on the face of said Y block to operate said lug.

5. A knife including an open sided handle formed of parallel, spaced, track members and connecting end members, the inner faces of said track members being grooved and one end member being slotted in extension of said grooves, a blade longitudinally slidable through said slot to be projected into operative position or retracted Within the handle, a shank on said blade having its edges itted in said grooves to guide the blade, a block covering one face of said shank, -a locking lug slidable laterally in a groove' in saidv block and having a pin thereon, recesses, in the inner face of one track member to selectively receive said pin to lock the blade in any one of several positions, and a spring housed in said'block to bias said lug and pin to blade locking position.

. l0 6. A knife including an open sided handle formed of parallel, spaced, track members and connecting end members, the inner faces of said track members being grooved and one end member A ,-closed loop large enough to surround the blade being slotted in extension of said grooves, a blade longitudinally slidable through said slot to be projected into operative position or retractedwithin the handle, a shank on said blade having its edges ttd in said grooves to guide the bladey'a block for each face of said shank to illvitout to the 0 thicknessv of the track members and extending laterally from one to the'other, and a removable fastening means securing said blocks to the blade whereby the blade can be renewed.

7.-A knife including an open sided lhandle 25 formed of parallel, spaced, trackmembers and connecting end members, the inner faces of saidl Within the handle, a shank on said blade of the same thickness as the blade and having its edges tted in said grooves to guide the blade, a removable block foreach face of said shank to extend f lit to substantially the thickn'ess of the track members and means housed by onejoi said blocks to selectively lock the blade in various positions.A 8. Av knife including an open sided handle. formed of parallel. spaced, track members and 40'connecting end members, the inner faces of said track members being grooved and one end member being slotted in extension of said grooves, a blade longitudinally slidable through said slot to be projected into operative position or re- 45 tracted'within the handle. a s hank on said blade'l 9. A handle for a knife of the type having a. blade longitudinally slidable and'adapted toghe projected beyond the end of the handle comprising a single piece of metal of suitable cross section formed into a. rigid closed loop having Vtwo parallel side track members and .connecting end members, one of said end members having a passage therethrough for the blade.

10. A handle for a knife of the type having a blade longitudinally slidable and adapted to be projected beyond the end of the handle comprisi-ng a single strip of metal of substantially semicircular cross section formed and secured into a in the plane thereof, saidV strip having its ilat face inside and forming two parallelftrack members'andconnectingend members.

11. 'A yhandle for a knife of the'rtype having a blade longitudinally slidable and adapted to be` projected-beyond the end of the handle com- .,prising a single strip of metal of Asubstantially semi-circular 'cross section formed and secured' into a closed loop large enough'tolsu'rround the blade in the plane thereof, said strip having its iiat face inside and forming two Aparallel track members and connecting end members, said track members having their natfaces ,longitudinally grooved.

1 2.` A handle for a knife ofthe type having a blade longitudinally slidable vandfadapted to be projected beyond the end of the'handle comprising a single strip of metal of substantially semicircular cross section formed and secured into a closed loop large enough to surround the blade in the planethereof, said strip having its fiat face inside and forming two parallel track 'mem- Vbers and connecting end members, said track members having their flat faces longitudinally grooved, and one .of said end Amembers -being slotted in the plane of said grooves topermit lthe passage of the blade therethrough.

13. A handle for a knife of the type having a blade longitudinally slidable and adapted to be projected beyond the end of the handle comprising a single .strip of metal of substantially semi-'circular cross section formed and secured into a. closed-'loop large enough to surround the blade in the plane thereof, said strip having its ilat face inside andorming two parallel track members and connecting end members, said track members having their flat. faces longitudinally grooved, one of said end members being slotted in the plane of said grooves to permit the passage of the blade therethrough, the other end member having an 'integral eye thereon.

RUSS J." CHRISTY. 

